1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related in general to the field of computer communication systems. In particular, the invention consists of a system for utilizing two master controllers on a single Inter Integrated Circuit Bus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In modern electronic systems there are a number of peripheral integrated circuits (“IC”) that have to communicate with each other and other external devices. One approach to simplifying circuitry is to use a simple bi-directional two-wire serial data bus referred to as an Inter Integrated Circuit (“I2C”) bus. Each device on the I2C bus is recognized by a unique address and can operate as either a receiver or transmitter of information. Additionally, these devices operate in either a master or slave mode, depending on whether the device must initiate communication with other devices or is simply communicated with.
In a single master device I2C system, the master device need not negotiate control of the I2C bus with other master devices. However, in a traditional dual master device I2C system, extensive driver code is required to allow each master device to work smoothly with each other. This code must provide arbitration of the single I2C bus and collision avoidance and handling. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a multi-master I2C system that does not require extensive code for arbitrating the bus.